A year ago this February I posted about the discovery of the remains of Richard III.  It was so remarkable that I allowed myself a little deviation from photography.  Richard’s death market the end thirty year long War of the Roses, and while Shakespeare was not so kind to Richard history has been taking a turn in his favor.  Well this week we get a whole new set of photographs that I never expected to ever see. Knights “in shining armour” standing guard at the funeral procession (Sofia Bouzidi for Cater News) and perhaps most touching of all is a photograph by Will Johnston showing showing Emma Chamberlein of the First Aylestone Brownies placing Richard’s crown upon his casket.  20,000 people have viewed Richard’s casket at Leicester Cathedral, and he is to be re-interred today.

Richard III’s DNA was identified based upon the DNA of  Michael Ibsen, a Canadian-born cabinet-maker from Paddington in London, Ibsen is a descendant of Richard III’s sister Anne.  In a tender twist, Mr. Ibsen was chosen to construct Richard’s coffin (Suzanne Plunket fro Reuters).

Perhaps this burial of Englands last Plantagenet king represents an unexpected but final conclusion of the War of the Roses.

“Prick not your finger as you pluck it off

Lest bleeding you do paint the white rose red

And fall on my side so, against your will.”

William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part One, Act 2, Scene 4